Media Love

Since the time of the ancient sophists, politicians have known the value of rhetoric and crowd appeal. With the rise of the media, the smart politicians (or those managed by the intelligent and aware) realized that it was an excellent tool to help them sway the masses.

Today, the power of the media to influence is quite significant and the politician that can gain their support increases his chances of success. Interestingly, the media often seems to be monogamous when it comes to competing candidates. If the media folks love one candidate, their love is general far less (or non-existent) for the other. Of course, like most lovers, the media is fickle. Their love can change in an instant if someone else catches their eyes.

Currently, the media seems to be quite enamored with Obama. As he travels the world, some of the top media people are with him and an amazing amount of attention is being given to his world tour. McCain, who is doing a domestic tour, is getting far less attention. He claims to be taking it well. However, he seems to be dismayed enough to use a standard online tactic-if someone displeases you, create a clever video as a witty retort.

On one hand, McCain does have a point. Many of the news folks seem to be a bit too enamored of Obama and some suspect that this is biasing them in his favor and against McCain. In theory, the news media in America is supposed to take an unbiased and objective approach to news coverage and avoid actually pushing one candidate over another. In actuality, the media folks are just like everyone else and are affected by their own beliefs and biases (both positive and negative). However, they should strive towards an objective stance and McCain is right to call them on this. Of course, his motivation is most likely not a noble desire for objectivity. Rather, he is most likely upset that the media isn’t in love with him anymore.

On the other hand, Obama is doing something that seems more newsworthy than what McCain is doing. After all, taking a trip to Portland, Maine seems to be less worthy of media attention than an international trip to meet with foreign leaders and to see the conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan. If McCain wants more coverage, he’ll need to go abroad or do something exiting.